The One Thing Anyone With Anxiety Needs To Remember When They’re Struggling

Anxiety is so common that it almost seems to be completely universal. The other day I walked by my ex-boyfriend with his new significant other and it almost sent me spiraling down this dark path that I did not want to go down. If you experience anxiety, you know what I mean. Our minds become flooded with thoughts that aren’t even remotely factual. Granted, this example of anxiety is significantly minor in comparison to the struggle of anxiety as a whole – but it’s the same concept.

When we are in situations that arise discomfort and anxiety, our brains make up false facts and we create a story that is the farthest thing from true. One day when I was explaining my dilemma to someone they asked me the most interesting question that anyone has ever asked me in the midst of a panic attack. “Are you sure that the things your brain is telling you right now is 100% true? ” she said.

Again, if you struggle with anxiety, you know what I mean. In this particular case, my brain was creating all of these wildly false narratives.

“He obviously loves her more than he ever loved me or he would at least look at me.”

“She has a way better butt than I do, I bet that’s why he likes her more.”

“I am not enough.”

“She is more worthy of love than I am.”

“She must be way more mature than I am, I handed our breakup really badly.”

Sure, saying these things out loud sound crazy – but that’s what our heads do when we are knee deep in our own thoughts.

We make shit up. We project our fears. We think of the worst possible thing we can think of and assume that it’s our new found reality.

News flash, not all of our thoughts are real. Not everything we think is the truth.

Of course we want our anxiety to feel validated, because our emotions are valid. However, our emotions can be valid at the same time that we acknowledge that our thoughts are not.

When we are so emotionally attached to a situation I think it’s pertinent that we say to ourselves, “Yes, this is how things appear to be in my mind – but are the thoughts I am having ACTUALLY real?” Most of the time, the answer will be no.

In reality, the times that we feel unworthy, no one actually ever told us we were. The times we feel that we aren’t good enough, no one actually ever told us that we weren’t.

My point is, be careful of your thoughts. Thoughts do not always speak truth, they speak from our fears or whatever emotion we are currently working through.

Remember that.